An Unexpected Return
by beefandrice
Summary: Robin returns after having sacrificing himself to destroy the fell dragon Grima. But he soon learns that he has been gone longer than he thought, and things have changed since then. RobinxCordeliaxChrom


**Some where in an open field...**

A figure stirred and opened his eyes groggily. His vision was blurry, the world felt like it was spinning, and his head felt like it had been split in half by a hammer.

He groaned as he sat up, _ugggh why does my head feel like-_

He froze.

He reached up to touch his head. Then his angular face. He then patted himself down, feeling the cloak wrapped around his body.

Could it be?

I saw a stream nearby and scrambled towards it. He peered over the edge. Looking back at him was the reflection of a young man with messy white hair, steel grey eyes, and wearing a purple cloak with intricate patterns adorning it.

He reached forwards and tentatively touched the water, then he scoped it up and splashed it on his face. He looked back down and saw that his reflection was still there, albeit wet and dripping.

 _I'm back..._

 _I'm back!_

"I'M BACK!" he cried out in pure euphoria as he fell back laughing. A wave of emotions passed through him at once, each one better than the last. He looked around, soaking in everything in the vicinity; the radiant colors, the exquisite smells, the melodious noises. It made him feel...alive.

"Wait...I know this place!" he suddenly cried out as he jumped up and ran towards the clearing. He saw a hill forming up and accelerated his pace. If he was right...

When he stood at the top of the hill he nearly cried out in joy; standing over the horizon was a large city, surrounded by an impenetrable wall and with a large castle in the middle of it. Ylisstol stood just as he had remembered it the last time he saw it.

He was back.

He was home.

Robin had finally come back home.

And he knew exactly whom he was going to see first.

* * *

 **In the city of Ylisstol**

Robin ran through the city as fast as he could, his eagerness and joy fueling him. There where so many people he wanted to see now that he was alive. So many people that he wanted to talk to, to hold them close, to feel their warmth again.

But she came first.

When he finally reached the military barracks, he sprinted towards the Pegasi knights section. He headed straight for room 1, which fortunately had its door opened. He stopped in front of it, collecting himself and catching his breath. When he was ready he stepped in.

There she was; sitting with her back against him, polishing her armor that she took so much pride in and humming her favorite tune to herself. She was so engrossed that she didn't even notice him walk in. He knew that he should have knocked, should have announced himself before he barged in; but he couldn't wait anymore. He just wanted to call out the name that meant the world to him.

"Cordelia."

The woman froze. Robin didn't move either, waiting for her to react.

Slowly, she turned around and saw him standing on the doorway, "Robin?"

He simply smiled and nodded, unable to speak due to the emotions welling up inside him.

She was as still beautiful as the day he saw her last. He flaming red hair cascading past her shoulders, her eyes shining brighter than any diamond could, her flawless skin more radiant than porcelain.

Cordelia, his wife, his true love.

She stood up and slowly walked towards him, her face still in shock. She reached out for him, then stopped, "is...is it really you?" she whispered.

"It is...I'm back Cordelia," Robin smiled at her.

Cordelia covered her mouth with her hands and Robin saw an her face change with emotions; happiness, excitement, disbelief...confusion? Fear? Something wasn't right.

"No...no, no, no, no," she whimpered as she shook her head.

"Cordelia? It's me, Robin. Your husband," Robin said confused as to why she was reacting this was.

"Cordelia sorry to come earlier but I wanted to ask-" someone said behind them before he stopped dead in his tracks. Robin turned around and saw a familiar face with blue hair and a peculiar brand on his arm.

"Robin?!"

"Chrom!" the tactician cried out overjoyed as he ran towards his friend and embraced him.

"You're back! You came back!" the prince cried as he embraced him tightly. He pulled back and looked at him, "and you haven't changed at all! You look exactly the same!"

"Of course I'm the same. Why wouldn't I be?" Robin asked.

Suddenly Chrom's face changed completely. He let go of Robin as he took a step back, his entire demeanor changing completely.

"Robin...I...we thought..."

"I though so too Chrom; and I'm sorry I didn't come to you first, but I had to see my wife first."

A look of pain and anguish crossed Chrom's face as Robin said that. "Robin...I'm so sorry..."

Robin gave Chrom a confused look, failing to understand why his friend was acting the way he was. That was when he noticed something that he hadn't before: on his finger there was a gold band. The last time Robin had seen Chrom, he had taken off his wedding ring after his wife Sumia had been killed in battle. Why would he...

He suddenly felt a cold chill creep up his spine.

 _No..._

He spun around and faced Cordelia, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. Her hands where still over her mouth, and Robin could clearly see a golden band on one of her fingers.

 _No..._ Robin thought as he took a step back.

The band he had given her when they got married had been silver, like the one currently in his finger.

"I'm so sorry," Cordelia whispered as her eyes stayed on him.

 _No, no, no!_ Robin thought as he turned around and ran past Chrom.

"Robin wait!" the prince called out after him.

* * *

 __

When Chrom finally caught up with Robin he was leaning over the railing surrounding the main city fountain. He didn't turn around to see him, his eyes fixed on the statue of Emmeryn currently spewing water in front of him.

"Robin...I fell terrible about this," Chrom said as he stood behind him, "believe me the last thing I wanted was to hurt you."

Robin remained silent.

"When you disappeared after killing Grima, we looked everywhere for you. We sent search parties all around Ylisse and Valm; we even had search parties search the oceans themselves."

Robin didn't answer.

"We asked Naga herself several times if she knew where you where, if she could feel your presence at all. In the end she told us...she told us you were gone. We didn't want to believe it, I didn't want to believe it. But no matter what we tried, we couldn't find you."

Robin closed his eyes, but still refused to face Chrom.

"Robin...Robin please say something. Talk to me, yell at me, strike me if you must! This silence is maddening! Anything plea-"

"How long was I gone?" Robin suddenly interrupted, catching Chrom off guard.

"...five years."

Robin felt a twang of pain shoot through his heart. Five years. It seemed impossible that he had been gone so long. From his perspective he had been saying goodbye to the Shepherds in one moment, and the next he was waking up in the field again.

"How did it happen?" he asked Chrom quietly.

"Robin I-"

"Please Chrom. Just tell me."

Chrom hesitated, unsure of what to say next. In the end he decided that the truth was the best option.

"Aside from myself, Cordelia was the person who looked for you the most after you disappeared; she would fly for days on end across Ylisse, searching every open field, village, and mountain that she could. When her pegasus couldn't go on, she grabbed a horse and kept on going. She didn't eat, she didn't sleep, she pushed herself to the limit."

"Then Severa was born and she couldn't continue with her search mission; as much as it pained her she just couldn't leave the baby alone while she kept looking for you. I...I felt bad for her Robin. She was alone and with a new born, so I told her she could stay at the palace. I promised that I would look after her and the baby, that I would make sure that they had everything they needed. She accepted, but insisted that she helped me with Lucina and Cynthia."

"After a while we just started...spending more time together. When Severa was a bit older she left her with a wet nurse and continued helping me to look for you. After Naga told us that you were gone she...she just broke down. I had never seen her like that, and I felt responsible for it. I consoled her, did everything I could to help her get through it; and then, I couldn't help but fall for her. I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help myself. The more time I spent with her, the more I got to know her, and the more I discovered what an amazing person she was. I lived to see her smile, to see her laugh again, to make sure that she was never sad or alone again. So I proposed...and she accepted."

"How long ago was that?" Robin asked.

"We've been married for a year now."

Robin opened his eyes and turned around, walking towards Chrom.

"Robin...I know you must be angry at me..." the exalt said as he prepared himself for whatever punishment Robin was about to inflict upon him.

Robin didn't answer, but instead kept walking towards Chrom. Then, he walked by the exalt without a word, not even looking at him.

"Robin? Robin wait-"

"I'm not mad at you Chrom," Robin said as he stopped, but didn't turn to face his friend, "I'm mad at myself."

And then he walked away.

* * *

 **Later that night**

Robin laid on top of his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He had managed to rent out a room at a cheap inn with some gold he managed to find in his coat. He could only afford one night, but at the moment he didn't care about that. He had other things in his mind.

 _Five years...I was gone for five years,_ he thought to himself. _Part of me knew that I would be giving up my life when I killed Grima, but I wasn't expecting this. Why did I even return? It would have been better to have not come back at all._

He sighed and closed his eyes.

Suddenly there was a knock on is door, "Robin..."

That voice. The voice he hadn't heard in years (apparently). The voice that had always been music to his ears. The voice that was now a painful reminder.

"Robin please...open the door," the voice said softly.

"It's open," Robin responded without getting up.

The door opened and Cordelia walked inside. Robin didn't look at her, didn't even open his eyes.

"Robin...I came to talk to you."

"What is there left to talk?" Robin asked, "everything seems quite clear."

"Please, don't make this harder than it is."

"Well what do you want from me Cordelia? I made my choice five years ago, and now I'm paying for it. There is nothing left to say."

"It's not like that! When you...when you were gone, I refused to believe it for the longest time. I wanted to believe that you were still alive, still around somewhere. I would have given anything to bring you back. Those years after you were gone were the darkest in my life; there were even times when I felt like...like joining you. But then Chrom came and...he gave me a reason to be happy again, something I thought I would never experience again. If I had known that you would come back-"

"Do you love him?" Robin cut in.

"What?"

"Do you love Chrom?"

"Robin please, don't do this," Cordelia said as her eyes started to water.

"Answer the question," Robin said bluntly.

"...yes. I love him."

Robin didn't say anything, he just laid quietly on his bed.

"But I love you too Robin. I can't tell you how much I've missed you, how much I wanted you to return. I prayed each night to Naga for your return, hoping that she would hear me."

Suddenly Robin got up and walked slowly towards Cordelia, his eyes focused on her.

"Robin? What are you-"

Robin stood in front of Codelia, only inches away from her. He reached out and placed his hand on her cheek gently, while he put his other arm around her. He leaned in slowly.

Cordelia closed her eyes, "Robin..."

And then he felt it; a small tug away from him. It was instantaneous and lasted less than a second, but they both realized what happened.

Cordelia opened her eyes, "Robin, I-"

"I think you should leave," Robin said softly as he pulled away from her defeated. He already had his answer.

Cordelia looked like she was going to say something, but Robin cut her off before she had the chance. With tears falling on her cheeks, she turned around and left as Robin closed the door behind her.

Once she was gone Robin leaned on to door and broke down.

* * *

 **Next morning at the royal palace**

Cordelia was at the dinning room, her head buried in her arms over the table. She hadn't been able to sleep all night, the feeling of guilt keeping her up all night.

Chrom appeared behind her and place his hand over her shoulder, "Cordelia, if you need to talk I'm here for you."

Cordelia sniffed as she raised her head to look at Chrom, "No Chrom, this is all my fault. I brought this upon myself, and I don't want to drag you into this."

"Horse dung, you didn't drag me into anything. I chose to be with you, so I'm as much responsible as you are here. If anyone should be feeling guilty, it should be me. So please, talk to me," Chrom said as he knelt down to face Cordelia on eye level.

Cordelia wiped her eyes, "I don't know what to do; I don't even know how to feel. Robin is back and I...I betrayed him! I didn't wait for him! I am a horrible person!" she cried as he leaned on Chrom's shoulder and started sobbing.

"It's okay Cordelia...let it all out," Chrom soothed as he stroked her hair, "Cordelia...if you still love Robin...if you wish to go back to him...I will understand."

"I...I don't know...I love him, but also I love you Chrom. I loved you for the longest time, thinking that I would never be with you, and I came to terms with that. Then I met Robin, and I thought I had finally met someone else that I could be with, someone who could make me happy; and then he left. I know he did it to save us, to save the world, but part of me still felt hurt and angry that he chose to sacrifice himself. It felt like my heart had been shattered and that I would never be able to fix it again; and then you came and helped me fix it. You, the man who I had thought to be out of my reach, came to me and made me feel something again. I just...I don't know how to feel."

Chrom held his wife closely, "I know how you feel. I've always thought of Robin as more than just a friend; he was-is-the closest thing I have to a brother. I owe everything I have to him, especially my life. When he sacrificed himself to kill Grima, I felt a part of me die as well. I wanted more than anything for him to be alive, for him to come back. If I had know that this would have happened...I feel just awful for what I've done."

"Part of me wishes to fix this..."

"and yet part of me doesn't want to lose you..."

Cordelia dried her eyes and looked at Chrom, "what shall do?"

Before Chrom could answer one of the guard walked in, "My lord, there is a man here who wishes to speak to have a council with you."

"Tell him to come later. I am occupied at the moment."

"He said he needs to talk to you now sire. His exact words were 'tell him I've come to say goodbye'".

Chrom looked at the guard confused before realization hit him, "no..."

He quickly got up and ran to the courtroom.

* * *

"Sorry to bother you so early Chrom," Robin said as the exalt walked into the room.

"What's this I hear about you leaving?"

"Oh good, you already know. Saves us time," Robin smiled sadly.

"Robin you can't be serious. You just came back to us yesterday and now you're just leaving us again?"

"Chrom, let's not beat around the bush here. We both now why I'm leaving."

"...Robin please. I never wanted-"

"It's okay Chrom," Robin interrupted as he raised his hand to silence him, "I don't blame you. I made my choice five years ago, knowing well what the consequences were. I can't expect you to re-arrange your life because of me."

"You don't have to go..."

Robin turned towards the voice that had just spoken, seeing Cordelia walking into the room, "please Robin, do not leave."

"Cordelia...I can't stay; I don't want to force you and Chrom to have to deal with me. I can clearly see that I'm just a burden, a reason for the both of you to feel guilty. And I don't want you to be; neither of you have done anything wrong. You moved on, and now it's time for me to do the same."

"Robin you don't have to leave. You're a national hero! Even if we...if we can't...the point is you still deserve to be taken care of! I'll arrange for you to have a roof over your head, meals every day, a job as a foreign diplomat! We can arrange something, I promise!" Chrom said desperately.

"That still doesn't change the fact that there's nothing left for me to stay," Robin said quietly.

That last statement hit Chrom hard, shutting him up.

"Is there nothing we can do to change your mind?" Cordelia asked softly.

Robin didn't answer. He didn't need to.

Cordelia looked absolutely crushed, but she refused to cry anymore, "very well. If that is what you wish...then we will honor your decision."

"Is there anything we can do for you now?" Chrom asked.

"...I want to see her."

Chrom didn't understand what he meant by her, but Cordelia did.

"She's asleep at the moment, but I can wake her up."

"No...it's better that way."

* * *

Robin entered the room quietly, making sure that he didn't wake up the little girl sleeping peacefully in it. She looked about five, her face a carbon copy of her mother's but her shoulder length hair snow white like his.

Robin sat gently sat down on the bed, making sure not to wake her up. He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, "Severa..."

The little girl stirred but didn't wake up.

"Severa, you deserve a better father than me. A father who won't abandon you, who will always be there for you. A father who will give you the life you deserve, who will treat you like the wonderful girl you are. A father who will ensure that you grow up into a woman whom he can look at with nothing but pride and joy. I couldn't be that father for you, but I know Chrom will be. As long as you have him and your mother, I know you will have everything you deserve."

Gently, he picked up the little girl and held her close, making sure not to wake her, "I'm sorry Severa; for everything. I wish...I wish I could..." Robin couldn't finish as he felt his throat chocking. He forced himself to swallow and finished, "I wish I could have been a father worthy of having you as my daughter."

The girls stirred in her sleep, nuzzling her head against Robin's chest, "papa..."

Robin felt tears falling from his cheek as he sobbed quietly.

* * *

"Is there no way to change your mind?" Chrom asked as they stood at the city's gate.

"My mind is set Chrom," Robin responded.

"Where will you go?" Cordelia asked.

"I'll probably head north, see if my services can be used in Regna Ferox. If not I'll just look somewhere else," Robin smiled.

"That's quite the long journey. Are you sure you'll be able to manage alone?"

"I won't be going alone. I ran into an acquaintance last night and they asked to come with me. I'll be fine."

"Well...then I guess this is goodbye," Chrom said as he extended his hand.

Robin hesitated before grabbing the hand suddenly and pulling Chrom into a hug, surprising him.

"After all we've been through, do you actually think I'm just leaving with a handshake?" Robin whispered to his friend.

"...I guess not," Chrom said as he embraced him tightly, "I just felt I wasn't worth more than that."

"You took me in when others would have left me in that field alone,you didn't care when we found out about my heritage, and you always gave me more trust and care than I deserved. Nothing is going to change that; you are, and always will be, my friend Chrom," Robin said as he pulled back.

He then turned to Cordelia, "I won't ask you to do the same if you don't want to," he said jokingly.

Cordelia didn't answer; instead she walked towards him and embraced him closely, her head resting gently on his shoulder with her eyes closed. Robin wrapped his arms around her and returned the embrace.

"I..I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Don't be. Knowing that you found someone who will always be there for you, who will ensure your happiness...well that's good enough for me."

"You were that someone Robin; for the longest time, you were that someone who could made me happy."

"Cordelia..." Robin said as he pulled away and held her hands, "I will always love you; and if I was back on the back of the fell dragon and had to make that choice again, I do it in a heartbeat; because you're worth it. Always remember: you're worth it."

Cordelia didn't say anything at first. Then she leaned forward and kissed him softly on the cheek, "I love you too."

Robin smiled and let go of her hand. He grabbed his bag and gave them both one last nod, "Goodbye."

And then he turned around and began walking away.

Cordelia and Chrom watched him as he got farther and farther away.

"Goodbye Robin."

* * *

"Took ya long enough!" an annoyed voice yelled behind Robin as he reached the city's outskirts.

Robin smiled without turning around, "sorry, I got caught up in goodbyes."

"Excuses! I've been waiting here for half an hour," the person said as they got closer. It was a young woman wearing a mercenary outfit, with her snow white hair tied into two tails that fell down her shoulders.

"Now, now, is that any way to talk to your father?"

"Hmmph! You left me twice, so I don't think you deserve me calling you father just yet," the woman said as he walked next to him.

"Fair enough; we have a long road ahead of us, so I got plenty of time to earn that right back."

"Just don't think it's going to be easy!"

Robin turned to face her and became serious, "Severa, are you sure about this? I'm not coming back, and I don't want you to come with me just out of spite towards your mother. Don't blame her because of what happened; if there's anyone you should be resenting, it's me."

Severa punched him in the arm, "you jerk! That's not why I came at all!"

"But are you sure-"

"I know I probably won't be seeing mother soon, or perhaps even ever again; but I've had more than enough time with her already. I already know what it's like to have a mother...but I don't really know what it was like to have a father."

"...I thought you said I didn't deserve being called father."

"Don't push your luck."

"Severa...thank you," Robin said as he smiled at her.

Severa didn't answer, instead she suddenly hugged Robin tightly, "I missed you, daddy."

"And I missed you too sweet heart," he said as he hugged her back.

"Now let's go! I want to get to Ferox before the winter season ends! I hear they have these new coats that are all the rage!"

"Well I hope you brought money, because I got nothing."

"What?! You're joking right? Right?!"

Robin just laughed as he turned around and took one last look at Ylisse.

 _Goodbye Cordelia._

 **Author's note: finally! Ugh this took more time than I was hoping, but I finally got it done!**

 **To all of you who are already following me and are disappointed that this is NOT chapter seven of my RobinXLucina story: I'M SO SORRY! It's no secrete that Cordelia is not my favorite character; if anything she is my least favorite character. I wasn't even planing on writing a fic with her in it.**

 **But then I had a dream. No literally, it was a dream with this story completely animated and even with the proper voice actors. I gotta start eating more Chinese food before going to bed.**

 **So I wasn't going to pay much attention to it but IT WOULD NOT LEAVE ME ALONE. It just got stuck in my head, giving me a writer's block for my other fanfic. So I decided to write it and get it out of the way; hopefully this will allow me to go back to my other fic.**

 **Oh and head up this is just a "one shot" deal. There will be no continuation of this story. So don't ask for one, please,**

 **So what do you think? Do you like it? Think it's too sad and depressing? Not sad and depressing enough? Leave criticism and comments below, and I'll see you next time!**


End file.
